Its children’s commissioner, Noor Aziah Mohd Awal, said it was imperative for child-friendly training to be introduced because not everyone was equipped with the skills to supervise children.

“The current system in place at welfare homes mostly caters to adults, so all staff should go through child-friendly courses and training to handle children,” she said at a press conference today.

Noor Aziah said Suhakam’s Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) had suggested that the women, family and community development ministry provide these courses and training to staff in welfare homes under JKM.

“This is so that staff who receive complaints from children can tackle the situation in a child-friendly manner,” she said.

She also pointed out that the OCC had suggested a separate channel under the “Talian Kasih” helpline just for children.

“And for this to happen, the person on the other end needs to have a background in child education or child psychology to best address the issues,” she said.

The “Talian Kasih” hotline was established last year for the public to report cases of domestic violence.

Noor Aziah said the women, family and community development ministry had responded by saying they were working on this.

On abuse in welfare homes, she said the OCC regularly visited care centres and shelters to monitor how they were run.

“We can’t visit all of them but if we notice something amiss, we immediately advise the relevant government agencies on the best courses of action,” she said.

“The welfare of our children is a priority, and we will do whatever it takes to ensure they are protected.”

This comes after an abuse case involving a disabled teenager at a welfare home received widespread news coverage.

Welfare home founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali, 30, is currently on trial on charges of neglect and abuse of Bella, 13.

She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a 20-year jail sentence or a RM50,000 fine or both if convicted.